SDN New York Chapter

What SDN New York Chapter does

The SDN New York Chapter is a non-profit, volunteer-run local chapter of the Service Design Network (SDN), a global umbrella organization with 44+ chapters worldwide. Founded in 2018 (previously operating as the NYC Service Design Collective), the chapter is managed by four co-founders — Kathleen Chao, Natalie Kuhn, Antonio Iadarola, and Marshall Sitten — and serves service design practitioners, UX/product designers, and design strategists in the New York metropolitan area. Its mission is to make service design more accessible as a discipline and methodology.

The organization's core offerings consist of three recurring community event formats — Talks featuring expert speakers, Interactive Workshops using methodologies such as bodystorming, Lego Serious Play, and ethical design, and Panel Discussions with multiple industry leaders. Events follow a predictable monthly cadence on the second Tuesday of every month, with supplementary events and international collaborations. The chapter also operates a Community Mentorship Program and generates content distributed through a Medium publication, a YouTube channel with recorded sessions, and an archive of talks, workshops, and panels on its website. No proprietary technology platform is built; the underlying infrastructure relies on community-organizing tools including Meetup for RSVPs, Medium for long-form content, LinkedIn for professional networking, and YouTube for video distribution.

The organization is funded entirely through corporate sponsorships, with named partners including Capital One, EY (Ernst & Young), and Foursquare, which provide either financial donations or physical event space. In return, sponsors receive brand exposure and access to community content. All events are free for community members to attend, and the organization charges no fees for participation. As a volunteer-run nonprofit, the chapter has no formal headcount beyond its five listed volunteer organizers and does not generate commercial revenue in the traditional sense.

Name

SDN New York Chapter

Legal name

Service Design Network New York Chapter

Website

https://sdnnyc.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The SDN New York Chapter is a volunteer-run nonprofit local chapter of the Service Design Network that hosts free monthly events — talks, workshops, and panels — to make service design more accessible for New York-based practitioners, sponsored by Capital One, EY, and Foursquare.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Community Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Internal Meeting & Workshop Management (THAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Service design community
• Monthly design events
• Professional development workshops
• Design mentorship programs
• Community content publishing

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship and Donations: Nonprofit organization funded through sponsorships from corporate partners (Capital One, EY, Foursquare) who provide financial donations or space for events. In return, sponsors receive exposure and content from the community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SDN New York Chapter is a volunteer-run nonprofit that organizes monthly service design events (talks, interactive workshops, and panel discussions) on the second Tuesday of every month for the New York design community. It complements these events by generating and publishing related content (Medium articles, video recordings, presentation decks, and sketchnotes) and by acting as mentors to practitioners entering or growing within the service design discipline. All programming is free to attend and is funded through corporate sponsorships and donations from partners such as Capital One, EY, and Foursquare.

Product overview

SDN New York Chapter is a non-profit volunteer-run organization that offers a portfolio of community-focused services including monthly service design events (talks, workshops, panels), a content library of archived presentations and materials, and mentorship programs. The organization serves service design practitioners through regular in-person and virtual events, with materials shared via Medium articles, video recordings, and presentation decks. The core offering consists of three event format types: Talks featuring expert speakers, Interactive Workshops for hands-on learning, and Panel Discussions with multiple industry perspectives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Won chapter award on stage at Service Design Network Global Conference for innovative events strategy

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• Service Design Network (Global)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization of which SDN NYC Chapter is a local chapter. The chapter operates under SDN's umbrella organization, which has 44+ similar groups worldwide. Awarded the chapter with recognition for innovative events strategy.
• DesignitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted International SD Day event at Designit's NYC studio in DUMBO. Global strategic design agency with 17 offices worldwide.
• Center for NYC NeighborhoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal NYC nonprofit focused on promoting and protecting affordable homeownership. Co-creation workshop partner for International SD Day event.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Nielsen Norman Group: Established UX research and training firm running conferences, workshops, and community content for UX practitioners. Comparable in providing practitioner education and events, but operates commercially at much larger scale.
• Service Design Network (Global): Global parent organization of which SDN NYC is a local chapter; operates 44+ chapters worldwide and runs the SDN Global Conference. Directly comparable as the umbrella body in the same professional association model.

Direct peers

• AIGA New York: New York chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design. Operates a local chapter hosting events, talks, and community programming for designers in NYC — same chapter-based volunteer-led nonprofit structure as SDN NYC.
• Creative Mornings: Global community of free monthly creative talks and workshops hosted in chapters worldwide. Closely comparable free, monthly-cadence, volunteer-led creative community model serving a similar audience of creative professionals.
• UXPA (User Experience Professionals Association): International nonprofit association for UX professionals with local chapters that host events, workshops, and conferences. Highly comparable volunteer-run, membership-driven model serving adjacent design disciplines.
• Interaction Design Association (IxDA): Global nonprofit professional association for interaction designers, organized into local chapters that host events, talks, and workshops. Closely comparable mission and chapter-based operating model to SDN NYC, with adjacent design discipline focus.
• Service Design Fringe: Community-driven festival and event series for service designers that operates through volunteer organizers and partner hosts. Directly comparable nonprofit, volunteer-run community programming in the service design space.
• SDN London Chapter: Sister chapter of SDN NYC under the same global umbrella. Runs events, talks, and workshops for service designers in London using the same chapter-based volunteer model — most directly comparable peer within the SDN ecosystem.

Others

• Designit: Global strategic design agency that co-hosted the International SD Day event with SDN NYC at their NYC studio. Strategic partner and active participant in the service design community ecosystem.
• Rosenfeld Media: Publishing and education company focused on UX and service design content, books, and online learning programs. Operates in adjacent service design thought-leadership space with community programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnRECcUEI9Hf3CLcGsdkhBg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdnnyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SDN New York Chapter